Carrier gate for traverse rod

ABSTRACT

End construction for a traverse rod. In a traverse rod having a closable opening adjacent the end thereof for the insertion of sliders thereinto, a gate for closing such opening is provided which operates entirely in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the rod. In this manner it is possible to butt the end of the rod snugly against a wall and still effect opening of said gate for the insertion or removal of sliders as desired.

Umted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,881,219

Haarer May 6, 1975 [54] CARRIER GATE FOR TRAVERSE ROD 3,587,131 6/1971Graf 160/345 X [75] Inventor: Steven R. Haarer, Howe, Ind. FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [73] Assignee: Kirsch Company, Sturgis, Mi h919,328 2/1963 United Kingdom 16/96 D 1,493,455 9/1967 France l6/87.4 R[22] Filed: July 19, 1973 [21] Appl. No; 380,668 Primary Examiner-JamesT. McCall Assistant ExaminerPeter A. Aschenbrenner Art ,A r, F W dh ,Blh d d 52 us. (:1 16/94 D; 160/345; 16/96 D f g gen or am am ar an [51]Int. Cl A47h l/04 [58] Field of Search 16/87, 87.4, 87.6, 87.8,

16/94 D, 95 D, 96 D; 160/344, 345, 346, 347 [57] ABSTRACT Endconstruction for a traverse rod. In a traverse rod [56] R ffir n s Cit dhaving a closable opening adjacent the end thereof for UNITED STATESPATENTS the insertion of sliders thereinto, a gate for closing 572,16512/1896 Hodgson 16/94 D such opening is provided which operates entirelyin a 2,379,928 7/1945 Rosenheim 16/171 Plane Perpendicular t0 thelongitudinal extent of the 2,889,573 6/1959 Bell et a1 .1 16/94 D rod.In this manner it is possible to butt the end of the 3,155,148 11/1964Kenney 160/344 rod snugly against a wall and still effect opening of3,l92,996 l965 Greenstadt et l60/345 said gate for the insertion orremoval of sliders as de- 3,333,622 8/1967 Graber 16/87.4 R sir3,453,682 7/1969 Salzmann l6/87.4 R 3,503,434 3/1970 Ford 160/345 8Claims, 8 Drawing Figures CARRIER GATE FOR TRAVERSE ROD FIELD OF THEINVENTION The invention relates to traverse rod construction andparticularly to a type of end construction for same which will enablethe end of the rod to be butted snugly against a wall and yet enablesame to be opened for the insertion and/or removal of sliders asdesired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In standard traverse rod installation, ithas long been known to extend the drapery and therefore the rod entirelyacross, and sometimes somewhat beyond, the windows with which thedraperies are being used. For many years this raised no particularproblem but with the advent of large picture windows and the resultingdesire to bring a given window as closely as possible to the walls ofthe room, it became necessary to provide traverse rods which would beplaceable as closely as possible to said walls at either side of thewindow.

Since traverse rods have for a long time required the insertion ofand/or removal of sliders to or from the traverse rod after installationthereof, it has long been known to provide a gate at or adjacent the endof the traverse rod for this purpose. An earlier construction in thisrespect is illustrated for example by Bell and Ford US. Pat. No.2,889,573, assigned to the same assignee as the present application.However, with the development as above mentioned of the desire forbutting the ends of the traverse rod as closely as possible to theadjacent wall, and including particularly constructions wherein thetraverse rod was affixed directly to the ceiling, the problems of soinserting and/or removing of such sliders with respect to the traverserod were substantially complicated. One attempt to meet this problem isillustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,434 wherein there was providedadjacent the end of the traverse rod a pivoted gate movable in a planesubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the traverse rod.This is convenient and effective, permits the easy insertion of slidersinto the traverse rod or removal of sliders therefrom but still requiresa small amount of space between the end of the rod and the wall. Thus,in a continuing effort to improve this type of drapery supportingapparatus, I have now brought into being a design by which the gatemoves in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thetraverse rod and hence requires no clearance at all between the end ofthe traverse rod and the adjacent wall.

Accordingly, the objects of the invention include:

1. To provide a traverse rod wherein sliders can be inserted into orremoved from the rod as desired and yet wherein the end of the rod maybe butted snugly against an adjacent wall oriented at leastsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said rod.

2. To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, having a gate structure ator adjacent an end thereof which gate structure requires formanipulation thereof no additional rom beyond the end of said traverserod.

3. To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, in which such gate structureis arranged for movement substantially perpendicular to the longitudinallength of said traverse rod, and thereby parallel to the surface of anadjacent end abutted wall, whereby same may be placed closely adjacent,or against, such a wall without inhibiting the operability thereof.

4. To provide a traverse rod, as aforesaid, wherein the gate structureis extremely simple whereby to minimize its original manufacturing cost,make its operation readily obvious and require virtually no maintenanceunder ordinary operating conditions.

other objects and purposes of the invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with devices of this general type upon reading the followingdisclosure and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an oblique view of the end of the traverse rod of the type inquestion and provided with the gate of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of said end structure showing same butted againstan end wall and further showing in broken lines the relationship of thetraverse rod extrusion therewith.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the end structure taken from the leftward endof FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line VII-VII of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is an oblique view of the gate means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In meeting the objects and purposes above setforth, there is provided for an extruded traverse rod an end cap,preferably a plastic molding, which carries the cord rollers and isprovided with an access gate pivoted to move on an axis substantiallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of the traverse rod. Said gate has aportion extending across the slot, here on the underside of the traverserod, in which the sliders are received and operate. Thus, when same isretracted, sliders may be inserted into said slot or removed therefrom.In addition, said portion has a recess therein which will receive aslide in a manner to hold same against sliding and therefore act as anend anchor for the drapery.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1a type of traverse rod with which the herein illustrated embodiment ofthe invention is typically used. This traverse rod is in general similarto the one set forth in detail in US. Pat. No; 3,503,434 and assigned tothe same assignee as the presentinvention, and hence needs no detaileddescription here but will be summarized for convenience.

The traverse rod 1 of FIG. 1 preferably comprises a generally tubularextrusion of substantially rectangular cross section and is providedwith a slot 2 in the bottom thereof for reception of suitable hangers 3.The end cap 4 is the subject of the present invention, is a separatecomponent from the tubular extrusion 1 and while conceivably made from avariety of materials is conveniently a plastic molding.

Turning now to the end cap in more detail, there is provided an endplate 6 from which extends three par allel roller supporting flanges 7,8 and 9, the middle one thereof in this embodiment being considerablyshorter than the other two, in order to save material. Preferably thereis also provided a cross member 11 connecting the middle flange 8 withthe two outer roller supporting flanges 7 and 9 for the purpose ofstiffening each thereof. Rollers 12 and 13 are rotatably fixed betweensaid flanges as shown in any appropriate manner. The longitudinalextent, lateral spacing and height of said flanges, particularly flanges7 and 9, are chosen as required to fit snugly into the extruded traverserod, the cross sectional relationship in this embodiment being as shownin FIG. 7, and the limit of such entry of the end cap into the traverserod being determined by the step 14 (FIG. 2). A top wall 15 is providedacross the upper side of said roller supporting flanges 7, 8 and 9 forfurther stiffening purposes.

A gate mounting flange 16 projects laterally from the flange 9 parallelwith the end plate 6 and cooperates with said end plate for mounting theclosure gate 19. While the pivoting relationship between the hereinafterdescribed closure gate on the one hand, and said gate mounting flangeand end wall on the other hand, may be provided in any of severalspecific ways, there is here provided a pair of stub pivots 17 and 18extending coaxially toward each other from the flange l6 and the endwall 6 and which are preferably beveled at their opposed ends forpurposes appearing further hereinafter.

The gate 19 itself comprises a wall 21 substantially equal in height tothe height of the end plate 6 and equal in width to the distance fromthe inner surface of said end plate to the remote surface of the flange9 which latter-named surface is in substantial alignment with the step14. The outer surface of said wall 21 is preferably contoured to matchthe corresponding portion of the traverse rod 1, in this embodimentbeing provided with the ridges 22 and 23 to align with the ridges 24 and25 of the traverse rod. A pair of pivot flanges 26 and 27 extend fromthe upper end of said wall 21 parallel with respect to each other andperpendicularly to said wall 21. A pair of openings are provided withinsaid pivot flanges for reception of said stub pivots 17 and 18. Saidpivot flanges are preferably tapered at their ends, as at 27a, tocooperate with the tapered ends of the stubs l7 and 18 to facilitatetheir being pushed past said stubs in assembly.

At the lower end of said wall 21 there is provided a pair of prongs 31and 32 which define a recess 33, the same being in alignment with theslot 2 of the traverse rod wherein the hangers are suspended. A smallplate 34 preferably projects from the end plate 6 and the flange 7 tocooperate with said prongs for defining an opening 35. Any convenientmeans, such as a projection and notch combination appearing at 36 and 37(FIG. 4) may if desired be provided for positively holding said gateclosed when desired.

Further flanges 41 and 42 (FIGS. 3 and 6) may be provided projectinginwardly from the wall 21 and upwardly from the prong 31 bothperpendicular to said wall 21 for stiffening purposes.

In use, the end cap is installed into the desired position at the end ofa traverse rod and the draw cord thereof installed in a known manner. Asupply of hangers may either be installed into said traverse rod priorto the application thereto of the end cap or if preferred may beinstalled by opening of the gate after said end cap has been applied. Ineither event, it will be apparent that by opening said end cap as shownin broken lines in FIGS. 3 and 6 of the drawings, the end of the slot 2is uncovered and further hangers may be installed into the traverse rodor hangers may be removed therefrom as desired. In finalizing thetraverse rod ready for use, one further hanger will be placed into therecess 33 and gate 19 then closed down against the plate 34. Thus, thehanger so positioned, as appearing in broken lines in FIG. 1 of thedrawings, will provide an end anchor for the drapery in the same manneras set forth in detail in the above-mentioned US. Pat. No. 3,503,434.

It will be recognized that the device above described may be madeinexpensively yet accurately by relatively simple molding procedures,such as injection molding, that the end plate 6 may be butted against anadjacent wall without interfering with the operation of the gate andthat the unit when closed, especially by appropriate choices ofmaterials and colors, will provide substantially the appearance of acontinuation of the traverse rod to the wall.

While a specific embodiment of the device of the invention has beenillustrated and described for disclosure purposes, it will be wellrecognized that the broader concept of the invention may be appliedthrough a variety of further embodiments and accordingly the hereinafterappended claims will include such further embodiments excepting as saidclaims may by their own terms specifically limit otherwise.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exxclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows: exclusive 1. A gated endcap engageable with the end of a traverse rod slotted for sliding drapehangers and adapted to end abut a building wall, and snugly locate adrape edge thereagainst, said end cap including in combination:

an end plate;

a plurality of roller supporting flanges extending perpendicularly fromsaid end plate for telescopic cooperation with said traverse rod and atleast one cord roller rotatably arranged between said flanges, said endplate, roller supporting flanges and traverse rod end defining avertically and forwardly opening gap of width slightly exceeding that ofa drape anchor hanger;

a gate in said gap forwardly and upwardly pivotable about an axislocated above the bottom of the end cap, said axis being substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of said end plate and substantially parallelto the longitudinal extent of said roller supporting flanges, said gatehaving a front wall and a bottom wall, said gate when opened opening thefront of said end cap and when closed providing means on said bottomwall extending across and closing the end of the traverse rod slot;

a gate mounting flange projecting forwardly into said gap and adjacentthe traverse rod end from one of said roller supporting flanges, saidgate mounting flange being spaced from and parallel to said end plate, apair of pivot flanges extending from said gate for reception betweensaid gate mounting flange and said end plate and means effecting pivotalrelationship between said pivot flanges and gate mounting flange and endplate, wherein the gate pivot axis is spaced rearwardly and below thetop of the gate front wall.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said gate when closed is a substantialcontinuation of the adjacent front and bottom of said traverse rod.

3. The device of claim 1 including cooperating fixed element detentmeans on said gate and end plate snap engageable for holding said gatein closed condition.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the bottom wall of 5 said gateterminates in a pair of spaced prongs, said prongs defining a portion ofthe boundaries of an anchor hanger receiving opening having an axisextending along said front wall and including further a platesubstantially coplanar with said prongs and fixed with respect to saidend plate for defining the remaining boundary of said opening.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein said gate comprises a generallyL-shaped member with said front wall upstanding and bottom wallextending rearwardly therefrom and carried thereby for receiving andsupporting in nonsliding condition an anchor hanger, said bottom wallbeing substantially coplanar with the bottom of said traverse rod in theclosed position of the gate.

7. The device of claim 1 in which said gate bottom wall carries anupstanding wall for axially blocking the hanger slot of the traverse rodin the closed position of the gate, said gate front wall pendently andsubstantially perpendicularly supporting said bottom wall and beingsubstantially coplanar with the side of said traverse rod in the closedposition of the gate, said pivot axis being spaced inboard of thetraverse rod top and side planes.

8. The device of claim 1 in which said bottom portion of said gate isrecessed for receiving and axially fixedly locating an anchor hanger ata location spaced below said pivot means.

1. A gated end cap engageable with the end of a traverse rod slotted forsliding drape hangers and adapted to end abut a building wall, andsnugly locate a drape edge thereagainst, said end cap including incombination: an end plate; a plurality of roller supporting flangesextending perpendicularly from said end plate for telescopic cooperationwith said traverse rod and at least one cord roller rotatably arrangedbetween said flanges, said end plate, roller supporting flanges andtraverse rod end defining a vertically and forwardly opening gap ofwidth slightly exceeding that of a drape anchor hanger; a gate in saidgap forwardly and upwardly pivotable about an axis located above thebottom of the end cap, said axis being substantially perpendicular tothe plane of said end plate and substantially parallel to thelongitudinal extent of said roller supporting flanges, said gate havinga front wall and a bottom wall, said gate when opened opening the frontof said end cap and when closed providing means on said bottom wallextending across and closing the end of the traverse rod slot; a gatemounting flange projecting forwardly into said gap and adjacent thetraverse rod end from one of said roller supporting flanges, said gatemounting flange being spaced from and parallel to said end plate, a pairof pivot flanges extending from said gate for reception between saidgate mounting flange and said end plate and means effecting pivotalrelationship between said pivot flanges and gate mounting flange and endplate, wherein the gate pivot axis is spaced rearwardly and below thetop of the gate front wall.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said gatewhen closed is a substantial continuation of the adjacent front andbottom of said traverse rod.
 3. The device of claim 1 includingcooperating fixed element detent means on said gate and end plate snapengageable for holding said gate in closed condition.
 4. The device ofclaim 1 in which said front gate wall upstands from said gate bottomwall and including means on the gate bottom wall for supporting ananchor hanger when said gate is closed.
 5. The device of claim 4 whereinthe bottom wall of said gate terminates in a pair of spaced prongs, saidprongs defining a portion of the boundaries of an anchor hangerreceiving opening having an axis extending along said front wall andincluding further a plate substantially coplanar with said prongs andfixed with respect to said end plate for defining the remaining boundaryof said opening.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein said gate comprises agenerally L-shaped member with said front wall upstanding and bottomwall extending rearwardly therefrom and carried thereby for receivingand supporting in nonsliding condition an anchor hanger, said bottomwall being substantially coplanar with the bottom of said traverse rodin the closed position of the gate.
 7. The device of claim 1 in whichsaid gate bottom wall carries an upstanding wall for axially blockingthe hanger slot of the traverse rod in the closed position of the gate,said gate front wall pendently and substantially perpendicularlysupporting said bottom wall and being substantially coplanar with theside of said traverse rod in the closed position of the gate, said pivotaxis being spaced inboard oF the traverse rod top and side planes. 8.The device of claim 1 in which said bottom portion of said gate isrecessed for receiving and axially fixedly locating an anchor hanger ata location spaced below said pivot means.